Obama's misguided plan to expand offshore oil exploration is as much about politics as energy.

“The real trouble with offshore drilling is that it threatens more than just the shores off which it occurs. Conservation, cleaner fuels and more efficient technologies are the core elements of a sound energy policy. Offshore drilling, wherever it occurs, merely deepens American dependence on a limited resource and thus perpetuates the nation's environmental difficulties.”

“Our nation should have been achieving an average of 35.5 miles per gallon years ago, not six years from now. Today, the nation should be transitioning to vehicles powered by alternative fuels. While [Obama’s] order on fuel efficiency does not go far enough, his decision to increase domestic oil drilling is only delaying the inevitable. Our nation’s unquenchable thirst for oil is not only harmful to the environment, but a threat to national security.”

Is President Obama’s decision to allow offshore drilling in the Atlantic a sensible one?

“The August 2009 oil spill in Australia reiterated the catastrophic effects of offshore oil drilling gone wrong, yet our president still believes it’s a good idea. For 10 weeks, the crippled deep-water oil rig leaked millions of gallons into the ocean between Australia’s northwest coast and islands of Indonesia, claiming the lives of sea snakes, birds and dolphins. According to the Committee Against Oil Exploration (CAOE), an oil rig can dump up to 90,000 tons of drilling fluid and metal cuttings over its lifetime, including produced water, which is excess water from well drilling or production consisting of oil, drilling fluid, and other chemicals used in or resulting from oil production. Sound yummy? Yet, there is a simple and passable solution to offshore drilling. If our cars and trucks got an average of just a couple more miles per gallon, we’d save more oil that exists off the entire coast of Florida. Still, federal gas mileage standards leave much room for improvement. Now, doesn’t that seem like a more logical alternative than spewing oil into the ocean, killing wildlife for a few cents off per trip to the pump? It won’t be long before Obama’s latest slogan “drill, baby, drill” will turn into “drill, baby, oops.”

Why does Surfrider Foundation oppose new offshore oil drilling?

SURFRIDER FOUNDATION OPPOSES ANY NEW OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING

Our nation’s oceans, waves and beaches are vital recreational, economic and ecological treasures that will be polluted by an increase in offshore oil drilling.

We strongly support reinstatement of the federal moratorium on new offshore oil drilling.

Instead of advocating for transient and environmentally harmful ways to meet America’s oil needs, we should seek a comprehensive and environmentally sustainable energy plan that includes energy conservation.